Penetrating trauma; experience from Southwest Finland between 1997 and 2011, a retrospective descriptive study.

BACKGROUND: (1) There is lack of epidemiological data on penetrating trauma in European countries. (2) In Finland most acts of violence are performed under the influence of alcohol. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and types of injury, treatment and survival of patients with penetrating injuries to the thorax and abdomen.

METHODS: This study includes two trauma centers with combined catchment area of approximately 720,000 patients. Patients were identified from patient records using ICD-10 codes.

RESULTS: Patients were predominantly young males and they were stab victims. The average yearly incidence for penetrating trauma was 0.9/100,000 inhabitants. Thirteen percent of patients admitted gave a negative toxicology screen or breathalyzer test for alcohol. Twenty two percent of wounds were self-inflicted. Fifty five percent of patients received a chest tube and 30 patients (23%) underwent emergent thoracotomy after sustaining critical injury to the thorax. A considerable proportion (12%) of the study group also later died due to alcohol and/or violence, highlighting the psychosocial co-morbidity among penetrating trauma victims.

DISCUSSION: Chest tube insertion is a skill to be mastered by any on-call physician. This simple procedure can be potentially life-saving. There is also a call for assessment of psychosocial well-being among penetrating trauma victims.